Mohammad Amir to play T20 World Cup 2024 for Pakistan? Shahid Afridi demands retirement reversal

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team captain Shahid Afridi reckons that the star left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir has plenty of cricket left in him and he can easily make his comeback to the national team ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The 31-year-old left-arm pacer represented the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024. He didn’t have a great season with the ball for the franchise as in 9 matches, he managed to bag just 10 wickets at an average of 28.6, an economy of 8.41, and a strike rate of 20.4. He had the best bowling figures of 2/20 in the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Despite not having a great season in the league, the veteran pacer has received backing from the all-round great Shahid Afridi to make his comeback to the Pakistan National Cricket Team.

In a conversation with a local news channel in Pakistan, Shahid Afridi put Amir in the same bracket as Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, who are regarded as the best pacers in Pakistan.

The former Pakistan captain added that Amir has a lot of cricket left in him and he should take his retirement back and play for the country at the international level once again.

“Amir can easily make his way into the lineup of the Pakistan team even today. He falls in the category of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi,” said Shahid Afridi. “There is still cricket left in Amir and he should play for Pakistan.”

Mohammad Amir, who was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2009 ICC World T20 World Cup and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2019. He then shocked the cricket world with his retirement from all forms of international cricket in 2020 at the age of just 28.

At the time of his international cricket retirement, Mohammad Amir cited harsh treatment from the team management as the reason behind his move. Since his retirement, there have been speculations of his comeback to the national setup, but the left-arm pacer has made it very clear in several interviews that he doesn’t have any plans of returning to international cricket.

“I have always told Mohammad Amir that he can still play for Pakistan” – Ex-Pakistan captain

Shahid Afridi is not the only former Pakistan captain who has backed Amir to take his retirement back as earlier, Sarfaraz Ahmed voiced the same sentiments.

Ahmed, who is the ICC Champions Trophy-winning captain of the Pakistan National Cricket Team, had said that the the left-arm pacer is a real difference maker and can offer a lot to the Pakistan National Cricket Team.

“The inclusion of Mohammad Amir has made a big difference. He has been bowling really well and has a lot of experience of playing T20 cricket,” Sarfaraz said.

“I have always told Amir that he can still play for Pakistan since he has a lot to offer. He can be useful for Pakistan but it depends on Amir how he sees his future with the national team,” he further added.